As is well known in fiber optics, bending a fiber optic cable too tightly can lead to a reduction in the signal transmission quality of the cable. However, it is necessary to be able to bend fiber optic cables around corners and other obstacles in order to route the cables to and from equipment such as computers, connector panels, junctions boxes, etc. Accordingly, fiber optic cables are evaluated to determine a minimum bend radius. As long as a fiber optic cable is bent at a radius that is equal to or greater than the minimum bend radius, there should be no reduction in the transmission quality of the cable. However, if a fiber optic cable is bent at a radius below the minimum bend radius determined for such cable, there is a potential for a reduction of the quality of signal transmission through the bend.
Small diameter fiber optic cables are typically terminated at each end in a connector. The process of terminating the fiber optic cable in a connector is commonly referred to as "connectorization." A connectorized cable is one that has each end terminated in a connector. The point where a fiber optic cable extends into a connector joined on the end of the cable is an especially susceptible point of the cable bending below the minimum bend radius of the cable. To prevent this, it is well known to install reinforcing boots during connectorization that extend out from the connector and encase a length of the cable extending from the connector. Such boots are permanently installed during connectorization. These boots are flexible enough to allow bending of the cable as it extends from the rigid connector yet they are intended to provide enough reinforcement to prevent severe kinking of the cable at the cable/connector junction. However, there are problems in relying merely on reinforcing boots to prevent excessive bending of the fiber optic cable. For example, hundreds of fiber optic cables are commonly routed through and connected in connector panels or junction boxes with limited space. The connectors of such fiber optic cables are commonly inserted into horizontally oriented connectors that are arranged in a vertical panel in the junction box. The cables are routed in a direction perpendicular to their connector. The door of such junction boxes is also vertical and typically closes in a plane parallel to the panel of connectors. The space between the closed door and the panel of connectors is desired to be as small as possible; however, if the space is too small, the door will excessively bend the boot encased portion of the cable when it is closed.
To prevent such excessive bending of flexible boots, it is known to have right angle boots that are more rigid than the typical straight boot. However, these right angle boots are also permanently installed with the connector and fiber optic cable during connectorization. Such permanence requires that a user stock a supply of each different type of boot. Furthermore, the boot is not removable should a right angle turn no longer be needed.
Thus a need exists for a separate guide that can be removably installed to a connectorized fiber optic cable to guide the boot encased portion of the fiber optic cable through a curve away from its connector and insure that the cable will not be excessively bent inside a crowded junction box or other environment. Additionally, such a guide needs to be removably installable without affecting the integrity of the connector/boot assemblies of the connectorized cable.
In another example, cables are commonly routed through turns at a point away from the cable's connectors. The point where a cable will need to be routed through a turn is not known until a connectorized cable is being installed. Therefore a need exists for a guide that can be removably installed on a connectorized cable and then moved along the cable to the desired location where the guide will route a length of the cable through a turn and insure that the cable will not be excessively bent at such location.